Soft containers of the known art are known to comprise a closure stopper which enables the container interior to be separated from the outside. When said containers are to be filled, the stoppers are opened and the containers filled.
This operation must evidently be carried out in an aseptic environment to prevent germs present in the external environment from being able to alter the organoleptic properties and cause growth of pathogenic microorganisms within the container.
Unfortunately the use of stoppers without a seal does not ensure that the container has not been previously opened and therefore contaminated by the external environment.
Moreover the stopper represents an extra cost additional to the container cost and can often exceed the cost of the container itself.
There is also a certain difficulty in obtaining containers having large openings with relative stoppers.
Stoppered containers also present storage problems due to the fact that the stoppers have a certain bulk which cannot be reduced as they are rigid.
There is hence a strong requirement for a machine for filling containers in an aseptic environment in which the containers are stopper-less and are formed simply from two thin sheets (each sheet being formed from one or more layers) sealed along the four sides and internally sterile.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method and a machine for filling, in an aseptic environment, soft containers having structural and functional characteristics such as to satisfy said requirements and at the same time to obviate the stated problems with reference to the known art.